San Jose Sharks' Patrick Marleau, Marc-Edouard Vlasic make Team Canada Olympics team

San Jose Sharks' Patrick Marleau (12) controls the puck as he looks to a pass past Chicago Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews (19) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Chicago, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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Nam Y. Huh
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Sharks will have two players on Team Canada as both left wing Patrick Marleau and defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic were named Tuesday to the roster that will compete in the Sochi Winter Olympics.

But one player who had been on most lists as a lock to make the team, Logan Couture, was not named to the team one day after it was disclosed he would be undergoing hand surgery on Wednesday.

Couture could have been selected and then replaced if the injury had not healed in time, but he said Team Canada told him that his surgery was not a factor. Others, however, were skeptical that was the case and that Team Canada simply chose not to go the replacement route with Couture's health in doubt.

This will be the second Olympic competition for Marleau, who won a gold medal in 2010, and the first for Vlasic.

"This is a great honor to be able to represent your country," Marleau, 34, said. "I've been lucky enough to do it in the past and I'm excited to do it again."

Vlasic,26, said he was honored to be on the team for the first time.

"I'm very excited," he said. "Facetimed with my wife this morning, waiting for the announcement and we're very very happy. It'll be a thrill to reperesent my country at the highest level."

Two other Sharks who were teammates of Marleau's in the 2010 Vancouver games were left off the 2014 team, Joe Thornton and Dan Boyle. Both took the news in stride.

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Thornton's omission had already drawn attention because he leads the NHL with 43 assists and is third in overall scoring with 48 points, but he said he recognized how tough the competition was and really was not disappointed.

"You look at the roster. Canada's really stacked," Thornton said. "I've had the privilege of playing in the Olympics, World Cup. It's a hard team to make and I hope they win the gold."

Boyle cited the fact his game was not up to par after suffering a concussion in an Oct. 15 game against the St. Louis Blues when he was driven into the board by Maxim Lapierre.

"It's been a tough road back from the concussion for me and for about 20 games or so I definitely wans't playing real well," Boyle said. "I'm OK with it because of the way things went this year and I'll just concentrate on getting better and, hopefully, getting a nice run and being fresh down the stretch here for San Jose."